SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Mariners are close to completing a deal to acquire second baseman Kolten Wong from the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Jesse Winker and infielder Abraham Toro, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The person confirmed to The Associated Press an agreement was reached Friday pending a medical review. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been officially announced by either team.
The Athletic first reported the deal. ESPN reported the Brewers also would be sending the Mariners about $1.75 million.
The Brewers picked up the $10 million team option on Wong’s contract for the 2023 season last month.
Wong, 32, batted .251 this season and had a career-high 15 homers to go along with 47 RBIs and 17 steals in 134 games. He had a .339 on-base percentage and .430 slugging percentage.
But the two-time Gold Glove winner had an uncharacteristically tough season in the field with 17 errors to match his career high.
Adding a second baseman had been one of the Mariners’ chief offseason objectives. Wong was Milwaukee’s starting second baseman for the last two years after spending his first eight seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Winker would give the Brewers a power-hitting outfielder to help make up for the loss of Hunter Renfroe, who was traded to the Los Angeles Angels last week.
The 29-year-old Winker hit .219 with 14 homers and 53 RBIs in 136 games in 2022 after playing five seasons in the NL Central with the Cincinnati Reds. He hit .305 with a .394 on-base percentage, .556 slugging percentage, 24 homers and 71 RBIs in 110 games with Cincinnati in 2021.
Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said after the season Winker had surgery on his left knee and was expected to undergo another operation to repair an issue with his neck.
Toro, who turns 26 on Dec. 20, hit .185 with a .239 on-base percentage, 10 homers and 35 RBIs in 109 games this past season.
